Hundreds of Civil Society Organisations, Activists and Intellectuals Host 'Republic Conference' at UGM

Yogyakarta – Hundreds of civil society organisations, activists, academics, and intellectual figures from across the nation will gather at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta on Saturday, 30 May 2026, for a forum titled ‘Republic Conference: Strengthening Civil Society as a Pillar of the Republic’.

The conference is a national consolidation of civil society elements, providing a space for reflection on dispersed ideas across various movements, uniting them into an organised collective will.

Committee Chair Sudirman Said emphasised the historical significance of the event. “This forum continues a historical call. The Republic was driven by civil society long before the state existed. Therefore, the strength of civil society must be re-established as a central force contributing to the Republic’s well-being,” he stated on 29 May 2026.

He added that civil society, largely led by enlightened intellectuals, has always been at the forefront for the people and societal change, even as the main driver towards independence. He noted their emergence was an unintended consequence of the Ethical Policy, and they were a minority in a largely illiterate population.

Their contribution was not just as enlighteners but also through self-sacrifice and concrete examples. Sudirman explained that civil society movements have helped the nation progress, with milestones roughly every 20 years.

Committee Secretary Yanuar Nugroho reminded that today’s challenges require different approaches than the 1998 Reform era. “Previously, we united around what we didn’t want. Today, we face oligarchies operating through laws, regulations, and narrative control, which are far more subtle. Civil society must start thinking about infrastructure to connect various groups so they know, recognise, and move together. The Republic doesn’t lack concerned citizens, but it needs connectors to unite them,” he said.

The full-day forum at UGM will open with an address by UGM Vice Rector Arie Sujito, followed by a keynote from Prof. Komaruddin Hidayat, Chairman of the Press Council, who will outline the relationship between civil society and power in today’s crisis context.